ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · fall · chip · rash · tear · roll · wax · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — child
  5. fall — to drop
  6. roll — a list
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fall — the season
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com